“More self-reliant communities mean better and more services for every citizen.” – Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF)
The Angeles City government is one of the top 10 performing cities in the country in terms of collection efficiency of Locally Sourced Revenues (LSR). The city has been ranked top six (6) nationwide for the Local Revenue Generation for Fiscal Year 2020.
The recognition was awarded to Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. by the BLGF after reaching a collection efficiency of 130.9 percent. The LSR of Angeles reached P1,413.94M surpassing the target of P1,080.42M. This award is a strong validation that the city government is doing its job in terms of efficiently collecting local revenues and has a proper, honest and efficient tax collection system in order to regain the city’s economic momentum and recover from the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc around the globe.
The LSR is the sum of the collected Real Property Tax, Local Business Tax, Professional Taxes, Community Taxes, Regulatory fees and other service charges, receipts from economic enterprises excluding the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
Local government units (LGUs) nationwide collected P205.71B in own-source revenues as of 3rd Quarter of 2020, which already account for 107 percent of the final full-year collection performance target for 2020 set by the BLGF. The BLGF earlier targeted P307.08B locally sourced revenue collections for all provincial, city and municipal treasurers for 2020, but this was adjusted to P193.04B to consider the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on revenue generation capacity of LGUs. Revenues from local sources of LGUs for 3rd quarter 2020 grew by 2% from P201.69B collected during the same period in 2019.
The BLGF stressed that LGUs can become less dependent on national government revenues if they collect more real property taxes and can increase locally sourced revenues by fully enforcing the collections of all local taxes, fees and charges and by updating their revenue codes. The LGUs’ expenditure responsibilities shall be focused on: Health & Social Services, Agriculture, Environmental Protection & Management, Infrastructure, Tourism and Regulatory Functions.
Mayor Lazatin accredited this milestone to the hardworking efforts and dedication of the City Treasurer’s Office led by Juliet Quinsaat and with the harmonious relationship with the Sangguniang Panglungsod for the passage of commerce-related ordinances to boost the collection of locally sourced revenues. Lazatin said that as promised, he will not increase the business tax and real property tax, instead will enforce strict and proper collection to increase the city’s budget especially for social services.
On his part, City Councilor Alfie Bonifacio, Chairman of the Committee on Commerce,
congratulated the Angeles City Government under the leadership of Mayor Lazatin, Jr., the City Treasurer’s Office and the Sangguniang Panlungsod presided by Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting, fellow City Councilors, Secretariat, Staff and all stakeholders who actively participated in actual inspections (of electric posts and water pumping stations), public deliberations and consultations which eventually approved his proposed measures unanimously. He also reiterated earlier during his Lingkod Bayan program interview that the city was able to rake in huge revenues through proper implementation of mandatory regulatory fees without lifting a finger to increase taxes. Bonifacio was humbled and honored by the recognition bestowed to the city government by the BLGF.
According to Quinsaat, with the award given, it means that the city is not primarily dependent on the national taxes allocation, because it can stand alone through its efficient collections. She added that this award will be one of the most cherished memories of her career, as it came at the time of her retirement in government service.
The collective efforts of the revenue generating offices (City Assessor’s Office and Business Permit and Licensing Division) with the collection strategy and innovation being implemented under the leadership of Mayor Lazatin with his Chief Adviser IC Calaguas, such as the online payment of RPT, and soon the business tax, are empowerment and motivation despite the economic challenges of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the annual performance target of BLGF for local treasurers pertain only to taxing mandates of LGUs, such as RPT, LBT and other local taxes, regulatory fees and user charges, and receipts from economic enterprises, and excludes collections from other receipts or other general income of LGUs, such as interest income, rebates, sale of assets or properties, and other non-recurring local income. The said bureau also supervises the revenue operations of all LGUs; monitor and support the implementation of policies and measures on local revenue administration; provide technical assistance to LGUs on local treasury and assessment operations, and overall revenue generation activities ; and assist in policy development and implementation to promote fiscal decentralization in the LGUs.